Door operating mechanism



April 30, 1940- w. E. WILLIAMS 2,198,796

DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed June 6, 1938 Snuentor 5727502224:17/12zm3 f attorney;

- 40 to enable entry to a closed body.

Patented Apr. 30, 1940 Application June 6, 1938. Serial No. 211,984; L

. l l 3 Claims.

;'I'his invention relates to door operating mech anisms of the type usedin motor coaches for opening and closing the front entrance door at thecurb side of th vehicle from the operators station on the far side ofthe vehicle. The operating linkage in a preferred embodiment involves atoggle joint arrangement wherein a short lever arm has a fixed pivotmounting near thedrivers "seat and is connected by along linkwith thedoor for opening and closing the dooras the lever arm is swung manually.i j An object of the invention is toprovide for the mounting of anoperating handle on the linkage, if

whichin the door closingposition of the parts is handle tolatchedposition. The arrangement is 9 such that both the door openingmovement and the door closing movement are natural movements for theoperator, the door-being opened by pushing the handle outwardly or awayfrom the operator and the door being closed by pulling the 3 handleinwardly. Because the folded links are securely held the long red mayserve safely as a grab rail at the loading platform without danger ofthrowing open the door; j A further object of the invention is toarrange the linkage so that an overcenter relation is established whenthe links are extended to hold the door open.

A still further object is to provide latch releasing mechanism operablefrom outside the vehicle Additional objects and advantages will becomeapparent during the course of the following specification havingreference to the accompanying drawing wherein Figure l is a top planview of the door controlling mechanism with'a forward portion of thebody shown in horizontal section; Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view ofthe toggle linkage and associated parts; Figure 3 is a detail plan viewof the latch striker plate mounting with partsin section as on line 33of Figure 4 and Figures 4 and 5 are side and end elevations looking inthe direction of the arrows online 4-4 and on line 5-5, respectively, ofFigure 2. In the drawingthe reference numeral 1 indicates the panel justbelow the windshield in the locked securely against accidental releaseand whose release is effected in the hands of the opframing element andmay consist, for example, of an aluminum casting and afiords ahorizontal shelf located about waist high above the floor 3.

The floor 3 at the front of the vehicle and. toone UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE" I front wall of a motor coach and 2 is astructural side of thelongitudinal center line constitues a loading platform leading from thedoor opening in the side wall of the coach. This opening normally isclosed by a door 4 shown as being of the Q I hinged type hinged at 5 atits forward edge. In spaced relation to the axis ofthehinge 5 and nearits free edge the door 4 carries abracket 5 to which is pivoted anadjustable end connection of a drag link or tie rod 1 which extends in-1 'wardly and constitutes a part of the toggle linkage connected at itsinner end with the shelf 2 and located at a convenient height to alforda hand grip for any passenger standing on the loading platform 3 whenthe door is closed.

At its inner end the long rod 1 is threaded into a yoke 8 and held by ajam nut 9 and which yoke is secured by an elbow II] in the eye of ashort swinging arm I l pivoted to the casting 2 near the vehicle centerline. The pivotal mounting includes apin l2 fixed to the casting 2 andprojected upwardly through an eye on the end of the arm ll, there beingsmall rollers l3 between the pin and eye to afford an anti-frictionbearing. Similar anti-friction elements I4 are interposed between theeye on the free end of the lever I I and the vertical pin l5 of theelbow l0, affording a pivoted connection between the links. The hori-'zontal leg l6 of the elbow I0 is shouldered and projects through theyoke member 8 secured thereon by a cap nut ll. Pivoted in the yoke andonthe leg l5 is-a lever l8 having its upwardly extending arm terminatingin a hand grip or ball [9. while its downwardly extending arm 20 coopfor engagement with the lever during the door closing operation, thecamming action serving to rock the lever about its fulcrum pin I6 untilthe end of the ear 23 is reached when the lever snaps into latchedposition under influence of a spring pressed detent bearing on the leverabove the fulcrum point and being in the nature of a headed pin ,25slidably mounted in an opening of the yoke 8 and pushed outwardly by acoil spring 26.

The 4 taneously swings the arm in Figure 1, the jointbetween the-linksis just beyond dead center relation so that the doo'r'is' held in openposition and against. any closing efiort exertedon the door. To closethe door the operator pulls on the knob is causing the links to folduntil the arm" H engages with the} stop 21 carried by the casting'Zandthe partsare' again latched by the cooperativeengagementof the legZllwith the striker plate 2|.

As an additional latch releasing agency there 1 isprovided the pivotedpawl 28 whose path of -movement intersects the locked positionof thelegZfl and which has an elongated slot v2B to receivethe dependent pin30 on the end of a swing- .251

ingarmjl pivoted in the mounting boss32 on the casting .2." Thisai'm 3|has pinned. thereto an, operating plunger 33 which extends through anopening inthewall panel I anditerminates in a roundedhead orbutton 34which is of such size and finishfas'to be an inconspicuous part of thefront wall This plunger also. has an abutm'ent collar 35 formed thereonto engage thein- ,terior of the panelv Land a coil spring36 serves tohold the collar 35 in its .p'rojectedl position.

Should, the button 3,4 bedepressed itwill swing the arm 3| inwardly;which in turnfrocks "the pawl 28 thereby moving the leg 20 clear of thestriker plate 2| and with the release of the latch the door 4 may beswung open. With this arrangement the door can be held shut when thevehicle is not inuse and furthermore the door can be opened in the eventthe operator inside the vehicle accidentally becomes disabled.

I claim:

l'ZfIria'iclos'ed' vehicle having a door, folding li'nkslocatedinteriorly of the vehicle for opening the door by the extension of thelinks, a linkoperating lever privotally mounted on one of the links, astriker plate engageable by said lever for locking the links in foldeddoor closing relation and means operable from outside the vehicle toswing "said'l'ever out of engagement with the striker plate. 4

.2..In a motor-.vehicle having a door, folding links for operating thedoor, an L-shaped pin having one leg secured to the end of one of thesaid pivotal'mounting, a hand lever pivotally carried by one of the legsof said L-shaped pin for latching engagement with the striker and springmeans active on the lever to resist unlatching.

. 3-111 avehicle having an outwardly opening hinged closure member, apair of folding links .operably connected therewith, a pivot jointbetween adjacent ends of said links arranged in over-center relation.for member open position with the linksunfolded; anda releasable latchcarried by; saidjoint to retain the links in folde member closedposition.

,WILLIA E. WILLIAMS.

, links and .the other leg pivotally connected to the. companion link, afixed pivotal mounting for one of. the links, a latch. striker in fixedrelation to

